School Grant Is State-Imposed Socialism

By Daniel Kormanik

Monday, September 30, 2013

To the Editor:

Calling the $50 million a gift from the state to build us a new school (to replace our Sandy Hook School) is not really true. Government has no money unless they take it from us first. It has to come from somewhere, probably state income taxes and gas taxes or other fees. It will add to our state deficit.

This money is not free, nor given freely by the other taxpayers of our state in other towns. The choice was made for them by our governor and legislature. Taxpayers in those towns never got a vote, just like state imposed “Socialim” of other European countries, not like anything previously done in the United States.

The concerns are many: 1) Our state’s lack of fiduciary responsibility in constantly overspending has resulted in a deficit of some $41.5 billion dollars. More than $49,000 per Connecticut taxpayer. This is money our state has overspent since the beginning of our state income tax. Do you remember the people of Connecticut voting Governor Lowell Weicker out of office after he passed the state income tax? Why have we failed to hold other governors and other big spenders accountable?

2) Our state pensions are underfunded by some 75 percent. With these huge deficits forcing higher taxes at every level…how long will excessive spending like this $50 million (that is more than twice what is needed), result in either higher sales taxes, higher gasoline taxes or higher state income taxes? How many jobs and people will we lose then?

3. Why are elected leaders ignoring our decreasing demographics at every level, national, state, and local? With our school population decrease of more than 600 students over the last seven years, why do we need to spend $50 million when an addition on Reed School for about $28 million would handle the problem.?

4) Why build a new school, if we will also close another school within a few years. Many other Connecticut towns have already closed one or more schools.

Wouldn’t spending only $28 million on a new school through the normal funding process for school additions make more sense, with the other $22 million going to either pay down state debt or to fund our state pension fund? Note: Paying down debt and deficits is more responsible than excessive spending.

Eisenhower used to say, “The middle of the road is the most navigable portion appealing to all.” This is not such a case, and this is not the normal school funding process by Socialism…not supported by the US Constitution.

Additional to our state deficit problems are the excessive cost of Obamacare, plus some $17 trillion of national debt, $5 trillion of which was created in just the last five years. And by 2021 Social Security payments will outstrip funds coming in. Yet lawmakers at every level refuse to grapple with the issues that matter.

Voting for this $50 million adds to our state deficit along with our children’s and grandchildren’s debt load